Brandon Graham: Calling me a bust doesn’t bother me anymore

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 18, 2012, 10:50 AM EDT

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In the two years since the Eagles took defensive end Brandon Graham with the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft, Graham has recorded a grand total of three sacks. So he knows some people call him a bust.

But Graham says that doesn’t bother him anymore.

Graham told the Daily Times that anyone watching him in training camp, or in the first game of the preseason, where he recorded a sack against the Steelers, knows that he’s a better player now than he was in his first two years in the league.

A big part of Graham getting better is getting healthier. He suffered a torn ACL late in his rookie year that kept him out for most of his second year, but heading into his third year Graham says he’s back to full speed.

Perhaps a healthy Graham can finally become the player the Eagles thought they were drafting in 2010. And perhaps Graham can become known as more than just the guy the Eagles drafted when they should have drafted Jason Pierre-Paul.

What’s more disturbing is that a ton of Eagles fans were begging for JPP or Earl Thomas in that draft. Then we get Brandon Graham, an undersized “high motor” guy that for some reason Andy Reid has an affinity for. Suffice it to say, JPP or Thomas would have been a much better fit.

Not really sure how you can call a guy a bust for having 3 sacks in two years when he spent the majority of his second year out due to a torn ACL, an injury most says takes another year to be fully back from.

I really don’t see him as a bust since he missed the end of his rookie year into his second year with an injury. I am willing to bet that hearing the talk about him will motivate him into a decent pass rusher this year. Check back week 10-14, then you can call him a bust if he hasn’t made a mark. Until then, he is just a player that hasn’t had the dice roll his way.

I agree with you 100% You cant judge these players that are in their third as busts when they have missed most of their 1st or 2nd or both years playing. Of course someone who hasn’t played a whole seasons is going to have their stats low!! logic people!

The year my eagles got exposed without a safety in the 2009 season which was the first year without Dawkins. I pleaded for the Birds to pick the best safety in the following draft. Right now we don’t need a Defensive Lineman we are stacked with depth and Safety wouldn’t be an issue have we drafted Earl Thomas.

You could argue back and forth all day, and it may be too early to judge Graham, but the very nature of the quote is worrisome. There’s no stronger hint of a bust than a player saying that being labeled as a bust doesn’t bother him.

Brandon Grahm deserves a shot this year. He is healthy and a acl tear for those of you that know is devastating. JPP he is not, but he might just surprise you. If he surprises, The Birds are going to have some hard decesions to make. Hopefully some real good trade bait. I wish Brandon the best. He has taken the heat and handled it well.

Absolutely love the Gianys fans puffing their chests out after a 9-7 season. Youd better hope the rest of the NFC sucks this year cuz that crap aint gonna cut it this year. Btw, where did u guys improve this year? Lost a lot a guys, but what did you add? A 3rd down back? Wonderful ! Lookin like another middle-to-bottom-of-the-pack finish for the second best team in NYC. Oh, and Graham out sacks JJP this year.

I wanted Earl Thomas too, but it’s a bit premature to call Graham a bust. If he doesn’t perform this season when he’s healthy, then it’s fair. But until then let the guy give it his best. He’s had a fair bit of bad luck.

As for JPP, nobody was calling for the Eagles to draft him. He’s blossomed into a great player, and good on him. But before the draft everyone was calling him a boom-or-bust pick and that scared teams away. Hindsight is 20/20.

Now I could be wrong but if I remember during that draft weren’t a lot of the experts saying JPP was a huge risk? So for those saying they easily should have taken JPP during the draft many fans were praying their team wouldnt take him. But i think that this guy needs to be given a full year to play before we call him a bust because he has a great upside when healthy. I’m rooting for him to have a good season because I loved the guy in college